Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Dan Wiederer: Bears' window of contention is open

Episode Date: January 26, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris were joined by Dan Wiederer of The Athletic to reflect on the Bears’ progress in the 2025 season.

The score. This hour is brought to you by Cars for Kids. Dan Weiderer, Bears reporter and senior writer for the athletic. You're going to be relying on a lot of young players, guys that have to materialize into who they thought they were. The Bears are who we thought they were. On-air contributor for 670 the score. We'll mention this mainly because Dan Weirer said we would mention this nugget.

Host of the Take the North podcast. We're going to take the North and never give it back. Dan Weeder. Thanks, Coach. We'll go first to Dan Whedier. on Chicago's sports radio 670 the score. Weezy. Dan Weider is the senior writer for the athletic covering the Bears.

He is also the co-host of the Take the North podcast. And he joins us via the Circa Resort and Casino Hotline, Circa Las Vegas.com. And yeah, for everybody saying, the new Buffalo Bill Stadium, it will be a, technically it's a canopy. It's like Texas Stadium, in my opinion. but that was a dome that just had a mistake. So they had a hole in the roof. That's not good. They finished what they could.

Sometimes that's what you've got to do. But yeah, technically it's a canopy, but the point is people aren't going to be shoveling and stuff. It just won't be as bad as it used to be. Dan Weeter, we're talking about the weather affecting the games, and so that was brought up. I know you can chime in on this as well. Yeah, I mean, look, it was fun to watch the end of that game in Denver yesterday

just visually. it was quite an appealing site to see some snow football. Obviously, we got a couple games here in Chicago this month with playoff action with some weather involved. You know, I don't know which way I lean on this because it is fun to see it. You also understand the purpose behind going indoors and all the things that you're trying to get done with that. So we'll see. We'll see which way the ball turns, if that's not the right analogy, but you get what I'm saying. I think that that is an appropriate analogy for the result of that.

that game. I said if you like defense and you like weather, which a lot of people who listen to this station do, then that was probably a game they loved. Yeah, you know, it felt like Denver, obviously they missed the opportunity to put some game pressure on New England in the first half when they bypass that field goal early. You know, I don't know, for me, I love the aggressive plays more often than not, but there's certain times where you've got to understand the situation when you're in and you're at home. You've got a quarterback two playing for you. You know, you've got a chance to go up double digits in a game that is probably

going to be low scoring all the way to the end and felt like one of those ones that will haunt the coaching staff for several weeks, if not months after that game ends. Dan, I'm looking at this weekend, and I was trying to look at it through the Bears' lens. And I don't know that we discovered anything major that we didn't already know in terms of the NFC West being the best division in football and the results. result certainly could have gone either way. Home field advantage, of course, advantage Seattle. Do you feel like there's anything you learned about the Bears' plight

through watching football this weekend? I don't know if you guys felt similarly, but it just felt like, you know, you were watching a party that you were a part of, right? Like, you know, in previous years, the playoffs have seemed so foreign. They seem so far away to people that have watched the Bears all year. And it's like, yeah, that's a different realm that those teams are living in. year you're just like, no, that's the realm the bears were in. It's the realm the bears could have stayed in if they had made one or two more plays against the Rams the previous weekend. And so I think

it just does give you a little bit that hope that your window of contention is open. And then as I always say, what you're trying to do when those windows open is, you know, find the strongest steel rod you can to put in there to keep it open for as long as possible. And so we'll see what they do this offseason to kind of keep that window open because it's clearly there and it didn't feel like any of those teams playing yesterday were worlds away like they usually are when we're watching the playoffs. Well, and that's it is on one side of it, you have the thrill of getting to the playoffs, but then you have the agony of the pressure of, it is not just the agony of defeat.

It's the agony of the expectation that occurs right afterward. I mean, we're talking about a bill's job being open because of that very thing. So when you consider the details and how much more pressure there's going to have to be to, for example, fill in the draft with lower draft picks. Yeah. That becomes magnified in all of this. Yeah, and you've got to make some difficult decisions with your salary cap and, you know, veterans that have high salaries and you've got to, you know, start to put that puzzle

together and figure out your, your path to sustaining success. I was absolutely enamored by the way Ben Johnson set the tone last week and the end of season press conference and just being very firm and stating that, you know, this is, you know, this is, going to take us right back to the bottom of the mountain. And this climb is going to be just as grueling as it was in 2026 as it was in 2025. So there's no time to sort of exhale and pat yourself on the back and feel satisfied about what you achieved because the NFL doesn't wait around for you. And so if you fall behind with the work you're putting in and the way you're building your roster

and the, you know, amount of investment that goes into sustaining success, you're going to be in big trouble. And Chicago knows that as well as anyone. We haven't had three consecutive winning seasons in this town. since the 80s, that's incredible when you say it out loud, you know, and so that you understand how difficult it is and you've got to go about doing the work that put yourself in position to achieve those things. And looking at where this team is and you start trying to figure out, okay, what can be

restructured and then what are the priorities? Are you looking at certain deals and saying, well, they're going to probably have to do something with this current contract just to buy the space that they need to bring, bringing back someone who is a free agent or to go out and get a need, say, I don't know, defensive line. Yeah, I mean, you're going to have to start to work those numbers. I think one of the names that comes up often in this conversation is Tremaine Edmins. And, you know, is there an opportunity there, you know, to move on and create some more salary cap space for yourself?

Now, you've got another starting linebacker who was extended last off season, who's now going to be rehabbing from a pretty serious injury in T.J. Edwards. And so that's going to factor in to your decisions. And so there's a lot of this stuff that you can't look at, you know, individually. It's all part of a bigger picture. And you've got to start to go through that process with Ben and Ryan together, figuring out what fits do you like? What fits would you like to improve? And then how do you just kind of marry all that together?

We all know that they're going to probably need to figure out an answer at left tackle going into next season to give themselves the best chance. So what does that look like? Is that a draft pick? Is that a free agent on a short-term deal? You know, and so all these things. kind of blend together. There's going to be a lot of discussion about DJ more in the next month, I would imagine. And, you know, is he a trade chip? Is there anybody out there willing to

give you a draft pick to help you clear a broom there? I don't know, right? So this is all going to be fluid here in the next month, month and a half. And the bears have to be really serious about what they're trying to get done and then very calculated in how they go do it. We're talking to Dan Weirer. He is the host of the Take the North podcast. And he is the senior writer for the athletic covering the bears here on Rahimi Harrison Grody on 670 the score. We got the news about Jonathan Gannon, expectedly, reportedly, becoming the defensive coordinator for the Packers. Where do you think this leaves Al Harris, who also interviewed with Washington?

Well, I think you connect the dots with Mike McCarthy going back up to Pittsburgh, and you wonder if there will be some heavy interest there, and if so, whether Al would be ready to roll up there and go rejoin Mike McCarthy. in Pittsburgh. You get some good news today that Declan Doyle is sticking around and pulled himself out of consideration for the Philly offensive coordinator job. And so now, yeah, like this is part of the puzzle that we're talking about. You're going to have to figure out where your coach staff is going to need replacements.

And, you know, that's going to kind of sort of really crystallize here probably in the next week. And then you'll have a better feel for how you're filling in those pieces. Because I think, you know, when you look at the Bears roster as it currently stands, development of the players that are on, you know, rookie deals or guys that you're trying to bring along, that's going to be a big part of this puzzle, is can you get the most out of those types of guys? And the more continuity and stability you have in your coaching staff,

the better your opportunity to do that is. And so it's going to be really interesting to just see how this all settles when all these musical chairs games are over. What's been the most fascinating opening to you, whether it's filled or unfilled so far as far as head coaching jobs? I guess my gut instinct would be to say Buffalo just because of high level their success has been, you know, for a long time after a period where they had no success for a long time, you know, and so they just have been such a reminder to me over the last month

of just how difficult this league is, just how cruel this league can be. And, you know, I just, I haven't shaken the image of Josh Allen crying at the podium after that playoff loss as a reminder of like, even when you're a league MVP and even when you, you know, go win the division, you know, a bunch of years in a row and you put yourself in the mix, you're after year after year, your season often ends in really, really traumatic pain, you know? And so like, this is what the bears have to come face to face with as they go forward and just understanding the difficulty of all this. I mean, how many times in Chicago if people, you know, laughed at the idea that Aaron Rogers never made it back to a Super Bowl after he won as one. Reminder, it's really,

really hard to get back, you know, and so even getting there the first time is going to be a monumental challenge and just knowing how difficult this is, that one really kind of stands out to me. asked the question earlier, if there was anything you learned more about the Rams after they lost to the Seahawks in that exciting NFC championship game. And I say that because sometimes you want to know that at least you lost to the team that ended up winning the entire thing or at least getting close. What did you think about the Rams in that game? Well, you know, those two teams have had three really good clashes this year. And it's been fun to watch those play out

on bigger stages. We know the one late in the season that got wild there at the end and really ultimately decided who was going to be the one seed in the NFC. And it's a reminder that that one seed is important because when you can play those games at home, you got a little bit of an edge and it helps in a lot of ways. I love watching the receivers in that game yesterday, whether it's Puka and Devante for the Rams or JSN in Seattle. You're just talking about guys that do that at a high level and how fun that is to watch when they're playing at that level. The Bears were right there with the Rams. And I really did think that those two teams yesterday were the class of the NFC and just realizing that you were in overtime with one of them, it gives you hope, right, like it does.

And that hope is very real. Now, again, it's got to be married up with all the things we talked about with this understanding that, you know, as Ben said last week, this doesn't carry over. There's no building off this, but you do see that you are competitive at a level higher than you've been in many, many years. The nature of Ozzie Tripillo's injury and what we understand about that specific injury and how long the recovery can be and sometimes players don't recover from it. I'm curious as to if you think they will draft another left tackle to play that position or sign someone.

How do you think they're going to address that? I mean, you have to go about addressing it as if there's nothing in place, right? Like you just have to. And it's where you're at in your journey right now is that you have to go try to find a guy that can be a full-time starter for you. We know the revolving door that was there this year for the Bears from the first day they stepped into training camp to the last playoff game they played. You know, they just never got that position solidified for a variety of reasons this year, and you have to get that solidified next year. If you want to give Caleb his best chance at taking the big developmental leap, if you want to give your offense the best chance at being one of the top five offenses in the league, you've got to make sure that you go out and you're very, very serious about what you do at that position.

And so they're going to have to figure that out. what does that look like, but I would certainly put that near the top of my list along with some pass rush help, although last week you kind of heard out of the building that they feel like some of their elevated pass rush improvement in 2026 could be from guys that are already here, you know, whether that's a Dio, a Dangbo coming back from an injury, a Shemar Turner coming back from an injury, Austin Booker taking the next step in his growth. We'll see where that goes. But those would be the top of my list right now in terms of priorities would be the left tackle position and adding some teeth to your pass road.

Yeah, they basically said we have Max Crosby at home, which is not what people wanted to hear, but that did feel like it. Dan, I also want to point out, the Rams had Coleman Shelton as their center. And, you know, that's something that I think a lot of people realized or may have seen for the first time in the playoff game against the Rams. But, you know, once again, I think he had as good of a season as to be anticipated and given the Bears work to try to get Drew Dalman, I thought that that was a compelling aspect of it, too. What's interesting about that, Leila, is that you're talking about Coleman Shelton having a really solid season with a very established veteran as his quarterback, whereas I think one of the underrated values of Drew Dalman was how much he could take off Caleb's plate and how much he could help Caleb with the stuff at the line of scrimmage and being able to really kind of free his mind in that regard. And so it is kind of a win-win when you look at it through that lens and you get a guy in Dalman that's going to be back at the Pro Bowl game. this week for the first time and just really brought that extra element to your quarterback. Nothing against Coleman Shelton, but he's able to go turn a lot of that other stuff over to Matthew Stafford, who obviously has seen it all over the time he's been in the league. And there's another great reminder of a guy that, like, you know, he's done it at a high level for a long time Matthew Stafford has.

And, you know, he gets the one run to the Super Bowl a couple years ago. And really, you go look at his playoff history. There's not much beyond that. And then also, you pointed this out on your Twitter feed, big ups to Bears' Cornerball, quarterback Nashan Wright, who has been added to that Pro Bowl Games, you just mentioned, Dan, as a replacement for Quinion Mitchell. A nice reward after a breakout season with nine takeaways. So that's good news. I think he deserved to be recognized. It made sense as to why other people may have been selected before, but that was great to see. Pro Bowl games will be back near his hometown out there in California as well. So that's a fun little sort of footnote on his storyline.

But yeah, good little reward for a season that was very deserving of it, in my opinion. And so it's good to see Nishon kind of get that last piece of punctuation on the year that he had and the breakthrough he had under the guidance of both Al Harris, as we talked about earlier, and Dennis Allen, who found ways to give him a role that mattered. And he sees that opportunity, and he went a long way with it. And now he gets to go enjoy the Pro Bowl because of it. I'm so curious, Dan, do you get time off now? How does this work?

I mean, I know you're not used to working and covering the actual beat this late into the season, but hey, here we are. Yeah, it slows down. It'll slow down a little bit. Now, I always remind people that the combine comes a knocking, you know, and I think we're like four weeks away from being an indie for the combine. And so, you know, we'll have some content here over the bridge here as we cross it. But it will slow down here, which is a beautiful thing, Marshall. Believe me, it's time to take a deep breath and sit back for a little bit and hopefully reconnect with my friends. family for a few weeks. It was good to wake up on a Sunday yesterday and not have to go anywhere. So that was a fun piece of the journey to lean into now that we're here. Yeah. What is Weedsie's first like item on the agenda now that you have a slower season? For what? For personal levels or anything? Your actual first item on the agenda. I'm looking to just like dive into Netflix sometime this week and catch up on, you know, five documentaries that I've gotten my list

that I haven't gotten around to see. And so we'll find some veg time here. That's my top priority. And then we'll get into a simulator somewhere here soon and start to get the golf swing in shape for when the weather breaks. We can't obviously take any outdoor swings anytime soon. As an Odyssey employee, we do have a golf simulator.

So if you have an Odyssey email address, you can get up there to our golf simulator. Where is this at? You don't know what? Okay, Grody's a bad teammate. Yeah, it's at the upgraded gym. Yeah, where was Grody on this? Grody, should I told you about this.

Do you host a show on our network or not? You do. Like, I'm coming in to co-host with Speegs later this week, and so I may get there a little early and get loose, you know, to get some swings off. I think that's an excellent idea. You need to have a conversation with, well, Grody, really, but either Ryan Porth or Mitch.

Or at least Ray. Dan, I got you. We're sounding this out loud. This is great. Dan, I'll bring you there before your pre-show meeting when you're in. What day you in? Excellent. Excellent. I'm in. Yeah, what are you in? What day are you hosting?

I would be there Wednesday and possibly Thursday as well. All right. Oh, so you're TBD. Well, well, well, we're getting answers on this show. Sounds like we've had some determinations made, perhaps. Our schedule. Still working some pieces. Our schedule looked like, how do I put this? It looked like a starting rotation for a bad team in August. Why are you bringing the White Sox into this?

TBD is like when TBD is your fourth or fifth starter, we just wanted to know. Not that you're our fourth or fifth starter. Just say, you know, when you're looking at it from a calendar perspective, I just didn't know what was happening. So now we have some answers. Dan, this has been very informative. Thank you. You got it. We'll talk to you guys soon.

That's Dan Weir, who we're going to try to hook up with the amenities of our building since he's an employee. I put that on Grody. Squarely on Grody's got to tell him about stuff like that. Does he even know that? Dan wants to play in the golf simulator? I feel like they spend enough time together that they should know each other's wants and desires. I mean, I've known Dan a long time, but this is the first I've heard of it. But this is why we ask these questions.

Good job. Good job, Little. Love it. All right. Coming up next year on Rahima Harris and Grotie on 670, the score. How do I put this? We have an interesting piece of audio from Eric, from Andy Reid on Eric BN me that I think we should acknowledge. But then additionally, we don't.

don't know if this is goodbye for a major star. And then on top of it, if it isn't a story we told you about earlier, should we touch it on at all? Should we just do it all? I like potpourri. We'll do it all. Next.